Red Ribbon
by wibbsby
Summary: Sanji postpones his birthday celebration but Zoro plans to surprise the cook with a cake at least, it's just a shame he has never baked before... There's always a plan B, right? WARNINGS: Rated M for future chapters. Language, explicit content, adult themes, YAOI, mild food play, light bondage.
1. Chapter 1

Ch.1

Zoro wasn't sure how things had turned out the way they had...

He and Sanji had been dating for almost two years now and living together for just over a month and in all that time there was barely a single example of Zoro being 'romantic'; It was perfectly understood by Sanji, if occasionally mourned, that the swordsman's way of expressing his feelings was almost the complete opposite to the way he did himself, in that Zoro didn't.  
Their relationship worked simply because of how well and how long they had known each other. They had fought, both verbally and physically, for a long time before they had gotten together (and still do today) meaning that by now they could read affection in each other's eyes as easily as they could read irritation and as such, in those two years, Zoro had never felt the need to change his stubborn, stoic ways.

So why now? Why, when the cook had announced that he would be delaying his own birthday due to 'Patty and Carne's inability to manage a disposable barbecue, let alone a restaurant', had Zoro decided that Sanji deserved to have something nice for his birthday? Why had Zoro decided on not just something nice, something special? and why, when Robin had suggested he personally bake Sanji a birthday cake had he figured that to be the perfect solution?  
After all what else was he supposed to do for a lover who's job, passion and, in fact, the majority of his life revolved around cooking, especially when said lover had just recently moved into and customised his own dream kitchen, leaving Zoro with nothing to add?

././.

* * *

So the day had come around, the birthday boy had left for the lunch rush at work (this slight lay in being the most he would allow himself, even today) and Zoro had began his hunt for a recipe...and then he'd hunted some more, and, after pulling half a dozen of Sanji's cookbooks from the bookshelf that the blonde had claimed as his own, he had found himself cursing the cook's god-awful handwriting, and then the better half of an hour trying to understand the recipe itself- It hadn't dawned on him until that moment that baking would require at least a little knowledge, if not skill, and he would never admit the fact that he had had to actually consider whether '1 cup of flour' should be measured in a coffee mug or pint glass before stumbling upon an appropriate measure.

Once Zoro had worked out the difference between self-raising and plain flour, he'd quickly deemed the difference between 'whisking' and 'folding' to be unimportant and the following process had gone pretty smoothly. He even left himself enough time to change out of his flour and egg laden clothes. The swordsman had actually been feeling pretty good about the whole thing, up until the moment he had removed the sponge from the oven to find it mysteriously dipped in the middle; He had figured that it must not have been done baking yet and placed it back on the middle shelf. Five minutes later and the cake was definitely 'golden brown' yet still remarkably deflated and 10 minutes later, when it was promptly decided that the slightly charred crater was probably inedible, his good feeling had promptly vanished.

The second try had gone pretty much the same way, though he had given up before the cake had burned; fully aware of Sanji's view on wasted food and knowing that two burnt sponges would probably be a little unfair on his choice of waste disposal- namely his friend, Luffy, and by the time the third attempt had wielded the same result the swordsman was both too stubborn and too far into the day to ask for help. Instead he decided that his last two sorry attempts (layered and flipped to hide the dips of course) would be just the same as a normal cake once covered in buttercream. It was the cook's recipe after all so he was sure it would taste fine whether it looked good or not and surprisingly, after a heavy, clumsy coating of oversweet fluff the cake had actually turned out at least a little respectable.

././.

* * *

With just two hours left of possibly the longest day the swordsman had had in a very long time, Zoro had soaked the baking equipment before dropping the evidence of the day's first disaster down the road to Luffy, who had accepted it with great gusto and not too much inspection. On the way back he stopped to purchase a cake box and some thick, crimson ribbon as a finishing touch, knowing the cook would appreciate the aesthetics.

Upon his return Zoro efficiently cleaned and removed the evidence of his activities, removing as much of the icing sugar/crumb mess as he could from the previously pristine granite worktops- even giving the powdery floor a good wipe- before proudly checking over his handiwork. Glancing back at the clock and the ever shortening time he had left to set up his surprise, Zoro quickly tried to slide the cake from its home on the cooling rack and into the open gift box.  
Now, Zoro was normally a strong believer in fate but maybe he had tried too hard with this, honestly pretty girly, final touch and the whole world had just decided to laugh at him for it, because as he watched half the cake fall haphazardly onto the counter followed a second later by the remaining sponge, he was absolutely certain that laughing was what the world was doing... This was exactly why he didn't do romance.

After enough of his brain cells had caught up with the situation, Zoro scooped the mess up into the box, shoved the whole thing into the bottom of the fridge- out of sight from the already usually smug cook- and stared at the ribbon on the counter in defeat before doing the only thing that those few remaining brain cells could think of and stripping.


	2. Chapter 2

Ch.2

The smell of baking hit Sanji as soon as he opened the front door; there was no mistaking the homely scent of batter and vanilla in the air- nor the tell-tale sharpness to the scent that told of something having burnt- but apart from an unconscious crease forming between his brow, the cook really didn't give it much thought. His brain was fried and his nerves frazzled from having to deal with the ineptitude of his staff in a restaurant borderline chaotic and, depending on how much stress he could relieve by aggravating his lover, Sanji was currently contemplating spending the remainder of his birthday collapsed on their sofa with some restaurant leftovers and a b-movie.

With as little attention as he was paying to his home right then, it was no surprise that he hadn't realised just how quiet the apartment was . He walked down the short corridor and into his open plan equivalent of heaven and placed the bags of food on the quartz countertops. The first drag on a newly lit cigarette had the tension visibly falling from Sanji's shoulders and the blonde closed his eyes to enjoy it.  
Their kitchen was a beautiful space packed with top quality appliances and a fridge big enough to fend off even Luffy, all framed by Sea Pearl Quartzite counters and rich espresso cabinets. Long windows filtered light into the kitchen and over the breakfast bar and cream walls flowed into the dining area, creating a sense of space. He and Zoro had somehow managed to bring warmth to a room that should have been dominated by Sanji's stainless steel monsters and just standing in his kitchen was sometimes enough to set the chef at ease.

"Happy birthday Shit-cook."

Sanji whirled around at the sound of the baritone voice, his retorts dying on his tongue at the sight before him; of his boyfriend sitting gift-wrapped on top of their dining table, shit-eating grin plastered across his face.  
The blonde felt himself heat up as Zoro shifted slightly, drawing Sanji's gaze towards the man's naked torso. His eyes raked across Zoro's strong shoulders and tanned chest, he didn't miss the goose-bumps littering the man's skin or the way the cold had perked his lover's nipples and, still speechless, he greedily took in the way Zoro's godly biceps pushed against his taut pecs as he rested his hands over his crotch, covering his modesty and keeping his warmth; hands that were currently bound together seductively with loops of thick crimson ribbon.  
If Sanji had been a less practical man he would have been jealous at the thought of somebody being so close to his boyfriend's naked form, so intimate as to bind the man's hands together and so trusted as to see him so vulnerable- but the blonde knew Zoro was far too prideful to allow someone else to do so and he knew the Santoryu practitioner to be skilled enough with his mouth to wrap the ribbon himself; the thought had Sanji's own erection growing as he watched that same tongue lick seductively at dry lips and those same hands rub absentmindedly at his half-hard cock, goose-pimpled thighs spread casually and oh so invitingly.

"What, not going to open your present?"

Sanji's mind jolted back into action. His thoughts running at a thousand a minute, he suddenly realised why the house had been so quiet; that Zoro had tried to celebrate his birthday; he wondered if that was where the smell of baking had come from and if so, where was the cake in question? It crossed his mind that the whole event was so unlike his lover; Zoro was very rarely in such a compromising position and Sanji hardly ever had the chance to dominate the man. The thought of that alone was unbelievably hot.  
He tried to remind himself to hide the blush in his cheeks and try not to jump the man as he schooled his expression into one more calm, now the thought had crossed his mind the chef planned to tease his lover for as long as possible.

"Not yet." Sanji replied, stubbing out the all-but-forgotten cigarette."Where's the cake?"

"What cake?" The swordsman replied neutrally, the blush creeping across his face unfortunately giving away his embarrassment.

Sanji grinned despite himself, as he turned away from his lover to open the nearest cupboard.

"Oi, what are you doing?"

"What does it look like Marimo? I can't open my present until I eat my cake."

He was stopped from his search by the sound of movement behind him and turned abruptly to stop Zoro from shuffling off the table in mild panic.

"Ah... Where do you think you're going? Presents don't move," the blonde chastised, staring the muscle-head down. "They stay still and wait till their owner decides to open them." He waited until Zoro sat back down before continuing."Now, you can either tell me where you hid my cake or you can stay there playing with yourself all night."

"It's in the fridge." The swordsman admitted reluctantly.

Sanji walked to the fridge as quickly as he could without ruining his composure, slightly more excited than he wanted to let on.

"Don't expect much, crap- cook." Zoro muttered in rare humility, "it didn't exactly turn out well."

Spotting how the cake had been so haphazardly thrown into the fridge, the blonde couldn't help but laugh as he grabbed a fork and carried the box across the kitchen. Zoro's eyebrow twitched in irritation at the laughter, bringing his bound wrists up to his mouth in an attempt to undo them.

"Forget it."

"no, no no. I'm sorry, leave them tied." Sanji half pleaded, half teased. "I'm enjoying this."

He almost growled at the blonde but Zoro obediently put his hands back in his lap. Reaching the table, Sanji placed the box to the left of the swordsman and took a seat. Watching Zoro tense as he opened the lid.

"It's not that bad." He said offhandedly in an effort to reassure the man. In all honesty Sanji was kind of impressed; it was better than he expected his lover to make and, apart from obviously having been dropped, he thinks it looks pretty good for a first attempt. It was big and it was messy, the buttercream was thrown on nonchalantly and the whole cake looked rough and almost arrogant, though Sanji could see the cracks poking through... The cake was so Zoro that he couldn't help but love it.  
He took his fork and stabbed at the edge of the cake, making sure to grab part of the sponge and locking eyes mischievously with the silent swordsman. Bringing the utensil slowly up to his mouth he licked his lips, opening wide to take the bite before stopping.

"You try it." He said, pulling the untouched cake away and turning it around. He lifted the fork up to the swordsman's mouth and waited patiently.

"I'm not eating that."

"Be good. It's my birthday."

"Don't push it." Zoro warned, maintaining eye contact and leaning forward carefully to take the bite, vaguely conscious of his hands.

He wrapped his mouth around the cake slowly and pulled away, deciding to tease the cook back. Letting the cake melt on his tongue, the swordsman licked an imaginary bit of frosting from the corner of his mouth before leaning back in and licking suggestively at the underside of the fork. He took the utensil back in his mouth and sucked the remains from the prongs, slowly pulling back a second time making sure that he had Sanji's full attention; the blonde's fetish for seeing people enjoy food being blatantly indulged.

Sanji swallowed thickly, heat back in his groin as he pulled the fork away from Zoro in order to cut again at the cake. This time he took a larger slice, bringing it back to Zoro's wet lips and watching as they parted indulgently. He purposely aimed a little awkwardly, letting the frosting catch the sides of Zoro's mouth as his lover bit into it.  
Sanji pulled the fork away, replacing the cutlery with his own mouth in a quick kiss. Not waiting for Zoro to respond, he licked the frosting away the swordsman's mouth before running his tongue back over the other's lips, seeking entrance.  
Zoro parted his lips in response, meeting his boyfriend's tongue with his own; the two eagerly battling for dominance inside Zoro's mouth. Their mouths moved in tandem, pressing together and parting in time as Sanji pushed lightly forward, bringing one hang up to Zoro's neck and leaning the other back. His tongue brushed against the swordsman's palate when the man's own tongue retreated and Sanji smirked as the swordsman moaned at the sensation. He took the moment to run his free hand over Zoro's tanned bicep and under the man's bound forearms before breaking the kiss and raising their arms up between them, pleased not to meet any resistance.  
As Zoro relaxed his arms behind his head, Sanji took the moment to appreciate the way the movement pulled gloriously at his lover's sides and chest, bunching the muscles and arching his lower back. Sanji was the one to moan this time as he hungrily eyed the body in front of him, enjoying the sight of the other's uncovered erection standing proudly in view.  
Quickly returning to the kiss, Sanji tried to keep it controlled, more aware than ever of the game they were playing. He only allowed the action this time to last as long as the taste of cake lingered. A few chaste kisses finished the session and the blonde bit hotly at Zoro's bottom lip.

"See Marimo," he said quietly, not wanting to break the tension between them. "Told you it didn't taste that bad."

"Shut up about the cake already love-cook."

././.

* * *

 **A/N**

 **So, this will be a 3 chapter fic it seems! Hopefully, you will all enjoy the prolonged smut... On the subject of things being prolonged, to anyone who was already familiar with the fic: I apologise!**

 **The delay was delayed and I'm not happy with how long it's taken me to update either this or my main story (which is on it's way soon), but I've been in and out of doctors and hospitals and physiotherapy *sigh*...Anyway, welcome back to all of you 3**

 **Wish me luck this time round,**

 **Wibbsby X**

 **P.S: Please feel free to leave any feedback, I'm only a novice and any advice, tips, tricks, hopes and dreams are all welcome! :)**


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